When the Cicadas Cry
by Sango Hikari
Summary: [AU] Every year, on the night of the Watanagashi Festival, one person is killed and another goes missing. The question on everyone's mind is: will it happen again this year? Complete. [FujiRyo]
1. Oyashirosama

This story is based off of the series _Higurashi no Naku Koro ni_. You don't need to know about the show in order to understand what's going on; I'll be explaining everything as the story progresses. I just wanted to give credit to the series since I'm using the basic plot of it. Also, there will be major OOCness, but I hope it's not too bad.

Throughout the story, you'll notice that some of the last names of the Tennis no Ouji-sama characters are different. This will be explained later on. And, because I can't seem to call Tezuka by his first name, Kunimitsu, Tezuka is now his first name.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tennis no Ouji-sama or Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

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_Every year, there is the Watanagashi festival to honor the guardian of Hinamizawa, Oyashiro-sama. And every year, on the same day, one person dies and another goes missing. _

The town of Hinamizawa was very hot.

That was one of the first things Fuji Syuusuke noticed when he first moved to the small village. It was also extremely under populated. There was only one school, which only held one classroom for all twelve grades. Inside the school was one teacher, in charge of teaching all the students herself. However, because it was so small, it was fairly easy to make friends.

Fuji was instantly welcomed by the small crowd of kids; for them, having a new student was one of the most exciting things to happen to them during the school year. Fuji had been told upon arrival that the student whose desk he now occupied had transferred, so the kids were all too eager to make a new friend. Especially one who would help them with their work.

The one teacher often had her hands full with the younger kids, so Fuji instantly began helping his new friends with their work whenever they needed it, even though some of them were a little older than he was. They gave him the nickname of 'tensai' not only because he was good at school, but at a variety of sports as well. Things seemed to be livening up in the small town.

"Hey, Fuji," Echizen Ryoma, the youngest of them all, said during lunch. "What are you doing after school?"

"Hmm…" Fuji thought for a moment. "I don't think I'm doing anything. How come?"

Ryoma swallowed a bite of his rice ball. "I'm going to go to my secret place and look for treasure. Do you want to come?"

"You should go, Fuji," Sonozaki Tezuka said, taking a bite of his own lunch. "It's not often that he invites someone to go with him. You should consider it an honor."

"Aw, I want to go too!" Furude Eiji said, bouncing up and down in his seat. "Can I? Can I?"

"Not today, Eiji," his best friend, Oishi Syuuichirou, said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We've already been with him before, remember? Now it's Fuji's turn." He smiled. "We'll go do something instead, okay?" Eiji was disappointed for a moment, but then agreed.

After school, the five went their separate ways: Eiji and Oishi went off to do something together, Fuji followed Ryoma towards the outskirts of town, and Tezuka went home, saying something about his grandmother wanting to see him.

Ryoma and Fuji walked for quite some time, until they were a ways away from the most popular part of town. Up ahead, all Fuji could see was a large trash heap, and was about to ask Ryoma where they were going when the boy stopped. "We're here," he announced.

Fuji blinked. "You mean…you hunt for treasure here?" he asked, staring at all the trash. Ryoma nodded. "You can find a lot of cool stuff here," he said, making his way towards the pile. "You can look too if you want, or you can just wait until I'm done. I won't be long." With that, he disappeared into the trash.

"I think I'll wait here," Fuji said to himself as he sat down to wait for Ryoma. All of his friends were a bit strange, he decided, but he enjoyed their company nonetheless. After a time, Ryoma's head popped up from the debris. "Hey Fuji, can you come here for a sec?"

Fuji did as he was asked, and was soon standing in front of an old, broken-down car. "There's a tennis racquet underneath there. Can you see it?" Fuji nodded. "I have a few balls at home, but I don't have a racquet so I can't play. It would be great if I could get that one, but I can't seem to get to it." He looked at Fuji. "What do you think I should do?"

Fuji looked once more at the tennis racquet. The handle was sticking out from beneath the car, but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't come loose. "Maybe if we had an axe or something, we could cut some of the car and get to it," he said. "It looks old enough that it shouldn't be hard to cut a chunk out of it."

Ryoma nodded. "Alright, I'll go see if I can find one." He ran off in search of something they could use, leaving Fuji behind. The tensai decided to wander around while he waited, and found himself back up towards the top of the pile.

"Well, hello there."

Fuji jumped and turned around, to see a man holding a camera standing behind him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," the man said with a laugh. "I'm Momoshiro Takeshi, a freelance photographer. I've never seen you before. Are you new?" Fuji nodded. "I'm Fuji Syuusuke."

"It's nice to meet you," Momoshiro said, shaking his hand. He glanced past Fuji to the trash heap. "Have you heard of the dam project?" he asked suddenly.

"You mean when they were going to build a dam here a few years ago?"

Momoshiro nodded. "It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but the whole town would have been underwater if the project was completed. Because of that, the townspeople all protested the development. Then, almost five years ago, the incident happened." Momoshiro lowered his voice, and it seemed as if he was almost talking to himself. "They still haven't found one of the arms…"

"Um…" Fuji began, but was cut off.

"Oh! Look at the time!" Momoshiro said, looking at his watch. "I really need to be going. It was nice meeting you!" he added with a wave as he ran off. Then, once again, Fuji was alone.

"That was strange…" he said to himself as he ventured back into the trash. He glanced around, not really sure what he was looking fore. His eyes settled on a stack of old magazines. He went over and picked one up, flipping through until he saw what he was looking for:

_Violent Murder at Hinamizawa Dam Construction Site. _

Fuji's eyes widened, and he was about to read the article when a sudden shadow loomed over him. He glanced up and saw Ryoma standing over him, holding an axe. He jumped. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," Ryoma said, jumping off the old stool he was standing on and landing beside Fuji. "I got the axe you asked for."

"Hey, Ryoma…" Fuji asked cautiously, setting the magazine down. "Did something…happen here?"

Ryoma's face darkened slightly. "I don't know," he said flatly. Then he smiled. "Well, shall we get to work?"

"Sure, but…it's kind of late now, so how about we come back tomorrow?" Fuji asked, gesturing towards the setting sun. "It'll be easier to work when it's completely light out, don't you think?"

"You're right," Ryoma said, setting the axe down. "We'll come back tomorrow, then."

----------

"Hey Fuji, you're going to the Watanagashi Festival tonight, aren't you?"

It was several days after the expedition at the trash heap, and the group was in school. Fuji blinked at the question. "The what?"

"You mean you don't know about the Watanagashi?" Eiji asked, a look of disbelief on his face.

"It makes sense," Oishi said. "I mean, he did just move here, remember?" He turned to Fuji. "The Watanagashi Festival is held once a year to honor the guardian of the town, Oyashiro-sama," he explained. "We're all going, so do you want to come? There's even going to be a performance at the shrine."

"I'd love to go," Fuji said. He assumed that the shrine Oishi was talking about was the Furude Shrine; the one that Oishi and Eiji lived at; since neither of them had parents, they lived together at the shrine. Eiji was the last living member of the Furude family, one of the Three Great Houses of Hinamizawa. The Sonozaki family was the main one, of which Tezuka was a part of.

The five met up later that night, and had a fun time at the festival. They watched as the local priestess performed at the shrine, and then it was time for the main part of the festival. They all went down to the river carrying balls of cotton; there were already many balls sailing downstream when they arrived.

"When you put the cotton into the river, you say 'Thank you very much' to thank Oyashiro-sama for looking after us for another year," Tezuka explained. "The cotton also absorbs all the bad things and sends them away." Though Fuji was a bit skeptical about the whole thing, he joined his friends in the cotton drifting.

He decided to take a walk when they were done, and began going along the riverbank. After walking for a few minutes, he saw Momoshiro talking with a woman down below. He decided to go and say hello.

"Ah, Fuji-kun," Momoshiro said, smiling upon his arrival. "Did you enjoy the festival?" Fuji nodded. "Well, I guess this makes you an official member of Hinamizawa now. Right, Ann?" He looked at his companion, who nodded. "This is Tachibana Ann. She's a nurse at the local clinic."

Fuji introduced himself and shook her hand before saying, "I have a question to ask you about the dam construction." He hesitated for a moment. "There was a murder, wasn't there? Where the victim was chopped to pieces?"

Momoshiro nodded. "Like I said, there were many protests about the dam; so many, in fact, that the construction was halted for a bit to sort things out. It was during that time that the person in charge of the construction was killed. I believe it was on the night of the Watanagashi."

"And since then, it's been happening every year," Ann said. Fuji looked at her, and she began to elaborate. "Many said that the murder was because of Oyashiro-sama's curse; that the dam builder was killed because the guardian deity was passing judgment on those who wished to harm the village. Every year since then, on the night of the Watanagashi, someone is killed and another goes missing.

"The year after the first murder, a man and his wife fell off a cliff during their vacation. They were both supporters of the dam, and the woman's body was never found, so she was considered missing since no one actually saw her fall. The year after, an old woman was killed and a boy went missing. And last year, the priest at the shrine was killed, while his wife went missing. All of them were somehow involved in the dam, and it's now been called Oyashiro-sama's curse. This will be the fifth year since the murder of the worked in charge of the dam, and everyone's wondering if it'll happen again this year."

Ann smiled. "Do you believe in the curse, Fuji-kun?"

----------

The next day at school, things proceeded like normal. All of Fuji's friends were talking about the festival, and he was having a hard time getting them to concentrate to he could help them with their work. He had just gotten them to settle down and was in the middle of helping Ryoma with a math problem when the teacher came up to him, saying he had a visitor waiting for him outside.

Fuji walked to the front of the building a saw a man waiting for him. He wore large glasses that were reflecting the sun, so his eyes were concealed. "Fuji Syuusuke, correct?" he asked, whipping out a badge from his pocket. "I am detective Inui Sadaharu. It will be more comfortable to talk in my car, where it's air conditioned." He gestured to the old-looking white vehicle he had parked next to the school, and they got in.

"I have some questions for you, if you don't mind," Inui began, pulling out a photograph. "Do you know this man?" Fuji looked at the picture; it was Momoshiro. "Yes, I saw him at the festival last night."

"And what about her?" Inui then pulled out a picture of Ann, the woman who had been with Momoshiro. "Yes, I saw her, too."

"About what time?"

"I'm not sure, but I would say about ten thirty," Fuji replied. "May I ask what all this is about, Inui-san?" The detective sighed.

"Last night, those two in the photographs were both killed."

**Footnotes: **

Watanagashi literally means 'cotton drifting'.

Furude and Sonozaki are two of the Three Great Houses in _Higurashi no Naku Koro ni_, so I decided to leave the families in the story and just change some of the last names of the Tennis no Ouji-sama characters to fit. This is mostly so that I don't get confused while writing. The third family isn't important in this story.

**Author's notes: **

Well, hopefully you aren't too freaked out at this point. This is just an idea I got and had to write, though I really have no idea what people will think of it. So, please review and let me know if I should continue it or not!


	2. Parasites

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! As you may have noticed, I changed the title of the story; the last one sounded really lame. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni means When The Cicadas Cry, and it seems to fit for some reason. So, I changed the name to that. Also, I'm sorry for the delayed update, but I had projects to work on for school. I also had a hard time decided which chapter to do. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is divided into six chapters, each one having it's own plot. I finally decided on Tsumihoroboshi-hen, The Atonement Chapter, because even though it was made to kind of connect to the other chapters, it explains things better than the others; though I am changing things up a little, mostly not to make it as…gross as the anime.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tennis no Ouji-sama or Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

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"Last night, the two in the photographs were both killed."

Fuji's eyes widened as he stared at the pictures of two people he had seen just the night before. He couldn't speak; what should he say? It wasn't as if he really knew them beyond the fact that one was a photographer and the other was a nurse. Still, that didn't change the fact that two people he knew were dead.

"Are you serious?" he finally asked, for lack of anything else to say.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Well, only Momoshiro Takeshi's body was found. Tachibana Ann is officially missing, but she is presumed dead."

Ann's words rang in Fuji's ears. _Every year since then, on the night of the Watanagashi, someone is killed and another goes missing._ "How did Momoshiro-san…die?" The words caught in his throat, but still, he had to know.

Inui hesitated. "It appears that he…clawed his own throat out," he said. "Some kind of drug was found during the autopsy, so it's unclear if that was behind it or not."

Fuji's mind whirled. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because we need someone who doesn't believe in the curse," Inui replied. "You've heard of it, correct? Oyashiro-sama's curse?" Fuji nodded. "Because you just moved here, am I correct in assuming that you don't believe in it?"

Fuji looked at him. "I don't believe in curses."

Inui smiled. "Good. That's why I want to ask if you know anything that could help us. As a police officer, obviously I don't believe in it, either. We want to know who's behind this." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a card. "I know this is a lot of information to take in. Here's my card; give me a call if you think of anything." Fuji nodded and was about to get out of the car when Inui stopped him.

"And please, don't tell anyone about this, including your friends. We want to keep this a secret."

----------

Fuji walked home alone that evening. He usually walked home with Ryoma, but the younger boy had left early, saying he had something important to do. As he walked, he went over what the detective had said. Two people were dead, and the police wanted his help on the case because, as a new citizen to the village, he knew the least about the curse and was the least likely to believe it. But he didn't have any clues that would help; after all, he had only met the photographer once before, and the girl on the night of the festival.

Fuji stopped as he heard a rustling in the nearby bushes, and looked over to see a hand sticking out of them, ushering him closer. He hesitated at first, but saw the tip of a hat sticking out, and he knew it was Ryoma. When he reached the bush, Ryoma pulled him down into it, holding his finger to his lips to tell Fuji to be quiet. Ryoma then stood up and peeked out of the bush, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then bent down again.

"Lately, it seems that I'm being watched," he said.

"Watched? By who?" Fuji asked. "Is it the police?" Ryoma shook his head. "I don't think so." He stopped for a moment, then looked at his companion. "I heard that Tachibana Ann was killed."

Fuji looked at him in surprise. "But how did you know? The police are investigating it secretly." Ryoma looked down at the ground. "Well, I didn't actually hear it, but I figured that if someone died this year, it would have been her. When you were called out of the classroom today, I looked outside and saw Inui-san talking with you, and I knew that it must have happened again."

"But why did you think it was Tachibana-san?"

Ryoma took a deep breath. "It was most likely…because of her scrapbooks." When he saw Fuji's confused look, he continued. "I met her at the library a few days ago, and she let me borrow them. I've only read a little bit, but the information that's contained in those scrapbooks…if it's correct, it's more than enough for someone to kill her."

----------

"_Ah, if it isn't Ryoma-kun!"_

_Ryoma turned away from the bookshelf he was browsing to see Tachibana Ann standing next to him. "Oh, Tachibana-san, hello," he replied. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Research," Ann replied. "On Hinamizawa's chain of bizarre deaths." Ryoma's eyes widened. "Here, let's go sit down," Ann said, gesturing to a table near the windows. They went and sat down. "I'm sure you know of the deaths, also known as Oyashiro-sama's curse, right?" Ryoma nodded. "It'll happen again this year. I'm sure of it._

"_You know of the faith in Oyashiro-sama, correct?" Again, Ryoma nodded. "This 'Chain of Deaths' is carried out a by a fanatical organization that worships Oyashiro-sama in order to maintain Its power. I believe this is the truth."_

"_Fanatical…organization?"_

"_Yes. When the village changed its name to Hinamizawa, it also ceased many several customs that were originally practiced in the Onigafuchi village," Ann continued. "However, I believe there are people who are trying to revive those customs and the fear of the name Onigafuchi village again. For example, The Three Great Houses of Hinamizawa._

"_The demons would emerge from the Onigafuchi Marsh and attack the village. But Oyashiro-sama intervened, calmed the demons, and gave them human form to allow their co-existence within the village."_

"_Is that the legend behind Oyashiro-sama?" Ryoma asked._

"_Ryoma-kun, what can you conclude from this legend?" Instead of answering his question, Ann countered with one of her own. Ryoma was silent for awhile before he replied._

"_Um, about Oyashiro-sama…I've met with Oyashiro-sama before."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes. Until grade school, I lived in Hinamizawa. Then, because of my mother's work, we moved."_

"_And you broke Oyashiro-sama's taboo about not leaving the village, right?" Ann concluded._

"_Yes," Ryoma replied. "And then, all these bad things happened. And, in desperation, I also did many bad things." In his mind, Ryoma remembered the time when he had gone through his school and broken all the windows with a baseball bat. He had even assaulted a few of the kids. "I hated myself…and wanted to die. That was when it appeared…Oyashiro-sama appeared. It said, 'There is only one way for you to survive, and that is to return to Hinamizawa.'" Ryoma unconsciously clenched his fist at the memory. "It's unbelievable, isn't it?"_

"_No, I believe you," Ann said. She reached into the bag she carried and took out three books. "These are my treasured scrapbooks. I'll lend them to you. I believe that you won't make fun of them, and will actually read them." Ryoma reached across the table and took them. "Please tell me what you think," she continued, standing up. "I think there may be things that only you know, Ryoma-kun." She turned to leave. "Oh, and about these scrapbooks and my research, please keep it a secret, ok?"_

"_A secret?"_

"_Because if They found out I've been researching this stuff, then I might be erased," Ann replied with a small smile._

"…_They?"_

"_See ya!" Ann said with a wave, then left._

----------

"So you think she was killed because of what was in those scrapbooks?" Fuji asked. Ryoma nodded. "Like I said, I've only read the few she gave me, but the contents were so bewildering that I'm still in the process of verifying any of it." They were silent for awhile, until they heard something. "A car?" Fuji wondered. Sure enough, they saw a white car pass as they peeked through the bushes. "Could it be that whoever's in that car are the ones watching you?"

"Probably," Ryoma replied. "I've seen it several times."

"Were they the ones who killed Tachibana-san?"

"Most likely."

"Look, I really want to help you, but I'm just not seeing the connection here," Fuji said.

"The ones who killed Tachibana-san are mostly likely the Hinamizawa Great Houses," Ryoma said, pausing for a moment. "To put it more precisely, Tezuka's family, the Sonozaki Estate."

"It can't be…"

"Fuji, you know of the other deaths in the past, right?" Ryoma asked. "This 'Chain of Deaths' has been planned to revive the faith of Oyashiro-sama."

"But…why did Tachibana-san have to die?" Fuji asked quietly.

"That has to do with this crucial secret the Great Houses have been hiding since ancient times," Ryoma replied, looking Fuji in the eye. "And if that secret is revealed, the holiness of Oyashiro-sama will disappear. That's why, when they learned that Tachibana-san was close to discovering the truth, they erased her."

"And what is this crucial secret?" Fuji asked.

"Well, that's…until I can verify this a bit more, can you give me some more time?"

Fuji's eyes narrowed. "I understand."

"And you can't tell anyone about this," Ryoma said, standing up. "Tezuka, Oishi, and even Eiji."

"Yeah."

"Then I'll be leaving now," he said with a smile. He began to leave.

"Ryoma!" Fuji called out. The younger boy turned around. His expression softened. "We're friends, right?" Fuji smiled back and nodded, and Ryoma ran off, leaving Fuji alone with his thoughts.

"If the Sonozaki family is involved, then does that mean Tezuka is, too?" He shook his head. "No, it can't be!" He walked out of the bushes and onto the road, realizing that the car was parked off to side. As he was walking past, the men in the car rolled down their window and honked to get his attention.

"Hey, bro, you on your way home from school?" The one in the driver's seat asked. Fuji kept himself from glaring at them as he answered. "Yes, I am."

"Well then, bro, did you happen to see another boy walking home on this road?" Fuji's eyes widened slightly. "He was wearing a white cap, and was wearing a red and white T-shirt. Did you see him?"

"No, I didn't," Fuji replied firmly.

"Ah, well, sorry about that, bro. We don't come here often, so we got lost," the man replied. "Can you tell us how to get to the school?" Fuji pointed in the opposite direction of the school, and they drove off.

_Those guys…are after Ryoma._

----------

"Ryoma, please tell me what's written in those notebooks that would get Tachibana-san killed," Fuji said into the phone.

"Well, to put it simply, if what is written in the scrapbooks is true, then their God will be discredited," Ryoma replied from the other end.

"Discredited…?"

"Yes. That's why, for they who are trying to revive the faith in Oyashiro-sama, this cannot be brought to the surface. In other words, Oyashiro-sama isn't a god."

"Not a god?" Fuji said, a bit skeptical. From what he had heard since he had moved to Hinamizawa, Oyashiro-sama played a large part in the village, even without the curse.

"There are several Oyashiro-sama teachings, but they all point to one thing," Ryoma continued. "That is: 'Don't leave the village, and don't let outsiders in.' To begin with, why did Oyashiro-sama descend in the first place? That's because the demons emerged from Onigafuchi Marsh and attacked the village, but this is a misinterpretation. The demons didn't emerge and attack the village. If you fell victim to what emerged, you became a demon and attacked the village."

"And what emerged?" Fuji asked.

"A parasite," Ryoma said. "It's a peculiar contagious disease that emerged from the Marsh; a parasite that makes the people it infects go berserk. Maybe it'll be easier if I say it's like a virus."

"I suppose that would explain the legend," Fuji said. "Then are you suggesting that Oyashiro-sama is a doctor that came from another country or something?"

"I can't be certain, but I can at least sat it was something close to a doctor," Ryoma replied. "It must have attempted to cure this contagious disease. But it didn't provide a cure, just preventive measures. I believe this was all they could do at the time. And to prevent further harm, they created these rules: don't leave the village, and don't let outsiders in."

"To not spread the infection to other people, right?"

"It seems that the parasite can only survive here in Hinamizawa, due to temperature and climate," Ryoma said. "When the infected host tries to leave the area, they produce strong symptoms to try and prevent it. This effect is the truth behind Oyashiro-sama's curse."

"Hold on a minute," Fuji said, slightly confused. "I don't know about the past, but now it isn't uncommon for people to walk in and out of the village."

"Yes, that's because things went the way Oyashiro-sama planned," Ryoma answered. "The reason they sealed the village for so long was to lessen the danger of the parasites. That is, if a person went berserk and attacked someone, they were caught and killed along with the parasite. This resulted in only parasites and people who are compatible with each other to live on. This is the truth behind the Legend of Oyashiro-sama: that the demons and humans merge their blood."

"I see…"

"And, in ancient times, the Watanagashi was held to eat the intestines of the berserked individuals," Ryoma continued. "But this was necessary."

"Was this so they could make a vaccine?" Fuji asked.

Ryoma let out a small laugh. "You sure are smart, Fuji! In reality, it wasn't anything that barbaric. They just created a vaccine from the deceased individual to increase the resistance of the villagers."

"This is so scientific, it's kind of interesting," Fuji said.

"But to the people who worship Oyashiro-sama as a god, they find this theory disgusting," Ryoma went on.

"True," Fuji replied. "If someone were to identify the cause of this disease and announce it to the world, it would crush this faith."

"To the fanatical believers of Oyashiro-sama, to revive the power of their god, they're willing to revive a highly dangerous parasite."

"Do you mean that their plan is to release this ancient parasite upon all of Hinamizawa?" Fuji asked, horrified.

"Most likely," Ryoma said, leaning against the wall of his room. "Their ultimate goal is the revival of Oyashiro-sama."

Fuji was silent for a moment. "Hey, Ryoma, are the people pulling this really the Sonozaki family? Are you saying that Tezuka is also involved?"

"I don't know if Tezuka or Eiji, who are part of the Great Houses, are directly involved; but even if they aren't, if they hear about this they may be in danger."

"That Tachibana-san…what a messed up parting gift she left us," Fuji said quietly.

"But I'm glad you're my ally in this, Fuji," Ryoma said softly into the phone.

"Of course I am! Isn't it obvious? We're friends, aren't we?"

Ryoma smiled. "Yes…thank you."

----------

The next day at school, things proceeded normally. Fuji was helping Eiji figure out a math problem, but he was too busy bouncing up and down in his seat to pay much attention. Ryoma was doing his own work when he happened to look out the window, and saw the same car from the day before pulling up to the school. A moment later, the teacher left the room for a minute. Ryoma told his friends he had to use the bathroom and followed her.

He peeked in through the sliding door into the teacher's office, where she was talking to one of the men from the car. He had just handed her an envelope, which she put on her desk. "Well then, I'll take you there," she said as they began to head towards the door. Ryoma quickly hid in another room as they walked by, talking about how hot it was that day.

Once they were gone, Ryoma slipped out of the room and into the office. He picked up the envelope and saw there was a phone number in the right-hand corner. There was phone on the desk, and he tried calling the number. It was out of service.

----------

"Did anyone hear that Echizen-san would be leaving early today?" the teacher asked, looking at Ryoma's empty desk. Oishi and Eiji exchanged glances, and Tezuka shook his head, saying that he didn't know anything.

_I have a bad feeling about this,_ Fuji thought.

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**Footnotes:**

Onigafuchi is the original name of the village. They later changed it to Hinamizawa.

* * *

Wow, that was a lot of information for one chapter. I hope things don't seem to confusing; I was watching the episode that all this came from while I was writing it, so hopefully it makes sense. Please review and tell me what you think! 


	3. Secrets

Yes, I know I'm very bad at updating, and I know that the last chapter wasn't that exciting since it was basically information about what's going on. But this one is more exciting, I promise! Also, last chapter someone asked me if there was going to be a pairing. I suppose that some of you will be able to see it as FujiRyo, but to others it will only be friendship. There's a small bit of FujiTez in this chapter as well. It's really just how you look at it. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the next chapter will be the last one. This is a pretty short story.

To Ruri, my anonymous reviewer: This _is_ pretty much a mix of Oninkakushi-hen and Tsumihoroboshi-hen. I see your point about the characters. Still, I do have my reasons for making them who they are. Oishi is polite, like Satoko; Eiji is cute and bubbly, like Rika; Tezuka is so much the opposite of Mion that I thought he should have her part, just for the hell of it; and Ryoma is cute yet a little different, like Rena. At least, that's how I see it; you may have a completely different opinion. As for it going too fast…I guess that's because I have another story that I'm going to update when this is done, so I think I'm unconsciously going a little quicker than I should. I tried to add a little more detail to this chapter, and I changed things around so that things (hopefully) won't be too confusing. Maybe sometime I'll try what you suggested and just take the idea of Higurashi and merge it with PoT.

…Wow, that was a really long reply. Everyone else can just pretty much ignore that, especially since you'll be very confused if you haven't seen Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tennis no Ouji-sama or Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

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"Yes, the Sonozaki Clan as issued a search for you," Inui said into the phone.

"So, the 'enemy' is no longer concerned with hiding themselves," Ryoma replied from a phone booth on the outskirts of town. After witnessing the conversation at the school and attempting to call the number on the envelope that had been given to his teacher, he had fled, stopping at his house to grab the scrapbooks. He had also called Inui, the detective in charge of the case regarding the deaths of Momoshiro Takeshi and Tachibana Ann, and told him everything about what he knew.

"In short, is their aim to get Tachibana-san's scrapbooks, which are in your possession?" Inui asked.

"Most likely."

"And in those scrapbooks is the truth behind Oyashiro-sama's Curse, which will be the key to solving Hinamizawa's Chain of Bizarre Deaths?" The detective was slightly skeptical, but it was the first solid lead he had on the case, and he wanted to get all the facts straight.

"Yes, and they plan to revive the faith in Oyashiro-sama by committing a large scale bio-terrorist attack," Ryoma replied. "I believe they're getting close, and will act in the near future."

"I understand. I'll see what I can do from my end," Inui said, reaching across his desk and grabbing a pack of cigarettes. He didn't often smoke, but found it helped him think when on a tough case. "If they really are involved in such an outrageous plan, there must be a lead _somewhere_ about it." He paused for a moment to take a drag on his cigarette.

"Now, here's some interesting information. Do you remember the night of the Watanagashi, how you and your friends were all talking with Tachibana-san and Momoshiro-san? We finally found Tachibana-san's body, and the Gifu Prefecture Police Coroner has estimated that the time of death was the night before the festival. To make a long story short, on the night of the Watanagashi, Tachibana-san was already dead. So the person you met at the festival must have been a zombie, huh?" He chuckled. "Just kidding. It's most likely a mistake on the Coroner's side." He stopped, and there was only silence on the other end. "Hello? Ryoma-kun?"

"Oh, yes," Ryoma said, trying to soak in all the information. He was clutching the scrapbooks he held tightly. "I'm counting on you. I'll go into hiding for the time being. I'll call again." With that, he hung up.

In his office, Inui stared at the phone for a moment before putting it back on the hook. As he was straightening some papers on his desk, one of the police officers ran into the room.

"Inui-san! This is bad!" he said, standing in front of Inui's desk. "The person looking for Echizen Ryoma is none other than the Sonozaki Clan's Kawamura Takeshi!"

"Kawamura?!" Inui explained, looking perplexed. "He's Sonozaki Sumire's right-hand man…" Sumire was the head of the Sonozaki family; her word was all but law. Also, since the Sonozaki clan was the most powerful of the Three Great Houses, that made her even more dangerous when she was against you.

"According to our informants, Echizen Ryoma is holding something terribly inconvenient to them," the man went on. "However, this is only a rumor."

Inui thought for a moment. "Get the undercover cops and put them on surveillance of the Echizen house!" he said.

The man hesitated. "Actually, Echizen Ryoma seems to have stolen hundreds of thousands of his family's money, and seems to have disappeared."

Inui slammed his hands on his desk and stood up. "You idiot! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

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"Ryoma disappeared?" Fuji asked. He was standing outside of Ryoma's house; he had decided to pay him a visit after he left during class. He had met Tezuka there, who had evidently been thinking the same thing.

"Yes," Tezuka said, one hand on the bike had had ridden to the house. "It seems the police are looking for him. I've told my family to secure his safety before the police get to him. The estate will be able to protect him from them."

Fuji was silent for a moment. "Yeah. If you find Ryoma, be sure to let me know." Tezuka nodded, then hopped on his bike and rode off.

"Ryoma…where did you go?" Fuji wondered. Then something dawned on him. "Could it be?"

----------

Ryoma sat in an abandoned van in the midst of the trash heap, huddled in a ball; the only light came from a lantern sitting on a small shelf. His head jerked up as he heard voices outside. He looked out one of the windows and saw two men, each with a flashlight, wandering around the dump.

"They say he plays here a lot," one said. "But I seriously doubt he'll be here at this hour."

"Who knows?" the other replied. "Hey, shine your light over there a bit more." While the two continued to search, Ryoma crept over to the lantern and turned it off, then sat crouched behind the shelf as the lights briefly swept over the van.

"This is Kamio," one said into the walkie-talkie he held. "All is well. Yes. The granaries?"

"What is it?" the other asked.

"It seems that a witness saw Echizen Ryoma near the granaries."

"So what should we do? We were ordered to take him back at all costs."

"We have no choice but to chase after him."

All throughout their conversation, Ryoma say huddled on the floor the van, listening intently. _I'm at the granaries…? _He thought, confused. _It can't be…Then Tachibana-san's theory is correct._ He scratched intently at his neck, which was bright red; so hard, in fact, that his nails dug into his skin, and blood dripped onto his leg. "I'll never give in! Never! Never to them!" He then looked down to the blood that covered his leg and hand, and gasped.

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Fuji wheeled his bike up to the dump, letting the kickstand down and grabbing a flashlight that lay in the basket attacked to the handlebars. He slowly began to make his way into the trash, stopping when the beam of light landed on Ryoma. His eyes were blank, and he was holding an ax at his side; the same ax that he'd had on the first day they went to the dump. "Ryoma!"

"What, this time it's Fuji?" Ryoma said, reaching down and grabbing the backpack that lay at his feet. "It seems that this place is no longer safe. I've got to get away from here. I don't even want you to know, so don't follow me."

"Ryoma!" Fuji called as his friend began to walk away. "What happened to you? Your neck is covered in blood!"

"Oh, this?" Ryoma said, reaching up and placing a hand on his neck. "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

"Ryoma…"

"You know, Tezuka's family is looking for me," Ryoma continued. "Two people were just here earlier. I heard them say that they had orders to bring me back at all costs. Do you know why? Because they want Tachibana-san's scrapbooks. It would be extremely inconvenient for them if people found out what was in them, after all."

"You're wrong!" Fuji exclaimed. "The reason his family is looking for you is because he found out that the police were looking for you, and he wanted to protect you from them!"

Ryoma laughed. "That's obviously a lie."

"Then what should we have done? Would you rather have us hand you over to the police?" Fuji countered. "There's no way we would do that!"

Ryoma's eyes darkened. "Fine. Fuji, I'll tell you the truth. The real truth that I haven't told you yet."

"The truth?"

"You see, the real identity of these parasites…is that they're aliens," Ryoma continued. "By parasitically attaching themselves they were able to control the human body. But as time passed, eventually a perceptive person was born and tried to reveal this truth. They eliminated this threat, and made a copy of Tachibana-san…and created a copy of myself." He paused. "I will fight them. As for Tezuka…I will never forgive him." Ryoma began scratching at his neck again, causing more blood to drip down.

"Get a hold of yourself, Ryoma!" Fuji yelled. "Aliens have nothing to do with this, and it doesn't really matter. Believe in us! In Tezuka! In all of us friends!"

"Shut up…"

"Ryoma!"

"_Shut up!"_ Ryoma screamed, before dropping the ax and falling to the ground, clutching his head. Fuji ran over to him. "Are you alright, Ryoma?" he asked, reaching out a hand; it was only slapped away.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Ryoma said, releasing his grip on his head.

"Go ahead."

"Friends don't keep secrets from each other, right?" Ryoma asked, still staring at the ground. Fuji bent down and looked at him. "Of course not. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"That's a lie."

"I'm not lying to you!"

"_Lies!"_ Ryoma screamed, then burst out laughing. Fuji was confused. "What's so funny?" he demanded. Ryoma was bent over from laughing, by managed to stop long enough to talk.

"Fuji, I know what you were doing before you moved here. I know. I had Inui-san look it up." Ryoma paused, standing up so that he was looking down at Fuji. "Fuji, you were a terrible person before you moved here, weren't you?" Fuji's eyes widened. "Ryoma…?"

"They say you only went after little girls. Isn't that right?" Ryoma continued. "Who would have thought such a dangerous person was so close by."

"No!" Fuji yelled, reaching out towards Ryoma. "No…It was just by chance…"

"What was 'by chance'? Your serial shootings?" Ryoma was glaring down at Fuji. "You only targeted little kids who were walking by with your model gun, right? The city was momentarily baffled. The PTA members stood at every intersection, and everyone was forced to go home in a group, weren't they?" Fuji looked away. "That disgusting touch of only targeting small children…what kind of fun did you find in that? But it _was_ fun, so you continued to do it, right? However, your conscience couldn't stand the torment and you turned yourself into your parents."

Fuji was on his knees, his eyes squeezed tight. "Juvenile law is kind, isn't it?" Ryoma went on. "Neither the victims' nor culprit's names will be publicized, and since your family is rich, your father just paid off the settlement fee and you got off with just probation. And when the heat died down, you moved, and all is forgotten. Being rich is so nice, isn't it?"

Fuji shook his head. "That's not how it is. That's not…"

Ryoma bent down next to him. "Why did you keep quiet about this?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Friends don't keep secrets from each other, right? Right?" Fuji's gaze wavered, and he unconsciously turned away. "You are not my friend!" The older boy's eyes widened as Ryoma stood up, grabbed his ax, and began to walk away. If anyone else was there, they would have seen Fuji crying.

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"That Ryoma…where did he go?" Tezuka wondered, looking at Ryoma's empty desk. "There are people saying something ridiculous like he's been demoned away…" Fuji only looked down at his own desk, not saying anything.

"Fuji, you don't seem very happy," Oishi said, coming over with Eiji in tow. Fuji hesitated for a moment. "Tezuka, Oishi, Eiji…There's something I want to tell you." They went outside, where Fuji told them everything.

"I see…something like that happened before you moved here," Tezuka said after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry I kept it from you all this time," Fuji said.

"What made you come out of your way to tell us this?"

"Because…I thought I wasn't being a friend by keeping secrets."

"Fuji, what do you hope to accomplish by telling us this?" Eiji asked.

"I wasn't really hoping for anything…It's just that I thought I shouldn't keep secrets from friends."

"Is there something wrong with keeping secrets from friends?" Tezuka asked, causing everyone to look at him. "I believe everyone has stories of pain, sadness, mistakes, or memories they don't want to bring up. If you can't call someone a friend without revealing all of that, then I don't need friends."

Fuji looked at the ground. "But…"

"Fuji," Eiji said softly. "There's a difference between things you don't need to disclose and things you must disclose"

"That's true," Oishi said. "What's more, if you're a good person now, then why feel ashamed?"

"Just like usual, it won't change the fun times we have laughing and playing with each other," Eiji said, smiling. "That's why we're friends."

"Everyone…" Fuji looked at each of his friends in turn, a single tear sliding down his cheek. He then remembered something that seemed to have happened long ago.

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"_I never knew anything about Kaoru because everyone was hiding it from me!" Fuji yelled, his eyes wide. Tezuka was standing opposite him, looking nervous. "That's not what we intended…"_

"_Friends don't keep secrets from each other, right? Right?" Fuji continued, looking angrier by the minute. "That's why none of you are my friends!" Tezuka looked close to tears as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block everything out._

_Then Fuji was at his house, the front door barely open. All he could see was a pair of eyes: Ryoma's eyes. "I would hate for you to be absent tomorrow," he said. A moment later, there was a part of a riceball that had been spit out in Fuji's hand, a needle embedded in it._

_There was an image of a medical needle, or what he had thought to be a one at the time; it was, in fact, a black marker that Ryoma held his hand. "This will help you feel better," he said, since Fuji had skipped school that day. Then Fuji snapped, grabbing the baseball bat he had been carrying with him and swinging it wildly. There was blood everywhere. Then there was Ryoma, sitting with his arms outstretched. "Believe in me." And then, the baseball bat collided with him._

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Fuji screamed, collapsing on the ground. "F-Fuji?"

"How…how could I have done such a thing?" Fuji muttered, oblivious to everything around him. "I killed Ryoma and Tezuka."

Oishi and Tezuka exchanged glances. "Fuji…I'm alive," Tezuka said, attempting to calm him down. As they were trying to make sense of what Fuji was saying, their teacher walked by. "What's going on?"

The group was startled. "I-it's nothing," Tezuka said, heading over to distract her. Oishi followed. "There's nothing to worry about!" Only Eiji remained with the troubled Fuji.

"Fuji…you remember?" he said quietly, unusually serious. "That you killed Ryoma and Tezuka?"

"Yeah," Fuji said, tears streaming down his face. "Not in this world, but in a different, yet similar world. For some reason, I became suspicious of my friends…and I killed them, because I thought they were going to kill me. Even when they were expressing their words of salvation to me…why didn't I listen to their words? Why…"

In another time, in Hinamizawa, the Watanagashi murders were still happening. Fuji Syuusuke, who had just moved there, became suspicious when his new friends seemed to be keeping things from him. Through others around him, he gradually learned of Oyashiro-sama's curse. When he tried to bring it up around his friends, they seemed to get very quiet and defensive, never answering the questions he asked them.

Perhaps because of his dangerous past, he became paranoid. He somehow learned about Oishi's older brother, Kaoru, who had disappeared after supposedly murdering his abusive aunt and uncle. Because his friends hadn't told them anything about it, he became even more suspicious about them. He even confronted Tezuka about it, thinking they had been hiding it from him. It was around this time that he began carrying a baseball bat around for protection, using the excuse that he needed to work on his batting skills; the baseball bat that had belongd to Oishi's brother.

He stayed home from school one day, and was visited by his friends Ryoma and Tezuka. They had brought him a case of riceballs, saying that they would hate for him to miss school the next day. Upon taking a bite, he realized that there was needle embedded with it, and he immediately jumped to the conclusion that his friends had placed it there, and were trying to kill him.

Fuji went to school for awhile, then eventually stayed home again one day, saying that he was sick. His parents were out of town, and he was the only one home. He slept most of the day, and when he awoke, Ryoma and Tezuka were in his room. Ryoma held a black marker in his hand, which, in his panic, Fuji had somehow mistaken for a medical needle filled with poison. It was then that he had snapped, grabbing the baseball bat and swinging it wilding around the room, hitting his friends in the process. At one point, Ryoma had sat with his arms outstretched towards Fuji, saying only "Believe in me" before being killed.

This is what Fuji had remembered.

Eiji reached out and placed a hand on Fuji's head, rubbing it softly. "Let us forgive Fuji," he said, causing the other boy to look at him in confusion. "Fuji, you were able to realize your sin on your own. But no one will understand that sin, nor will they be able to forgive you for it. But I am able to forgive you of that sin. I am able to understand how amazing you are."

"Eiji…"

Eiji's eyes narrowed slightly. "I understand that is a miracle. And right now, you can understand what Echizen Ryoma is going through."

"Yeah…he's like how I was that time," Fuji said quietly. "Even when he desperately wants to believe in his friends, he can't." He raised his fist and beat it on the ground. "But he risked his life for me! He tried to open my eyes! Even at the last moments before he lost his life…" Fuji stopped beating his fist on the ground. "I won't give up; there's still time. The same tragedy that happened before can be avoided! Fate can be changed!" He was standing up now, no longer crouched on the ground. "And then, we'll take hold of the future that awaits us."

Eiji was quiet a moment before he spoke. "For the will to fight to be this beautiful, this sublime; to even have the ability to overturn fate…this is what I have learned here. That is why I will fight alongside you. However long it will take…until we can reach the future that awaits us."

"Wow, Chie-sensei is very persistent."

Startled, the two turned and saw Tezuka and Oishi walking back towards them. They stopped when they realized that Fuji was now in front of them. "Fuji, what's the matter?" Tezuka asked, just as Fuji reached forward and pulled Tezuka into an embrace. Startled, Oishi went over to stand by Eiji.

"I'm sorry," Fuji whispered. "I'm really sorry."

"F-for what, Fuji?" Tezuka stammered, slightly red. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't need to know," Fuji said. "It's okay even if you don't know. I'm sorry. I will never doubt you, Tezuka; no, any of my friends again. That's why, somehow, please forgive me for that day."

"…Fuji?"

Behind them, Eiji smiled.

**Author's notes:**

The part that Fuji remembered was originally from Onikakushi-hen, the Demoned Away chapter, of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. For this story, just think of it as something that happened in a kind of alternate universe that was somehow erased from Fuij's memory.

The reason that Eiji knew so much about Fuji is because, even though he's young, he is the head of the Furude family, one of the Three Great Houses. His parents were two of the victims of Oyashiro-sama's curse, and he was left in charge of the house.

'Demoned away' refers to someone who has disappeared because of Oyashiro-sama's curse.

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Wow, that was a lot longer than I originally intended. I know that it's a lot of information to take in, so please let me know if there's something you're confused about.


	4. Allies

Ok, I lied. I said that this would be the last chapter, but it would have been really long if it was, so I decided to split it into two. The next one will be the last; I mean it this time. And I just want to take a moment to thank all my lovely reviewers. You guys rock!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tennis no Ouji-sama or Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

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"You call us out here to make us believe this gossip? Aren't you taking our business a bit too lightly?

Inui was seated in the Sonozaki household, two other policemen with him. Opposite them sat Sonozaki Sumire, the head of the family, Tezuka, and a sort of bodyguard.

"In short, since this is a personal problem between Echizen Ryoma and your son," one of the other policemen said, "you're telling the police not to interfere?"

"Yes," Sumire replied.

"We will not allow that. Echizen Ryoma will be put under the protection of the police."

"Then tell us the reason Ryoma needs to be put under your protection," Tezuka demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Inui said, taking a sip of his sake. "It's because you guys are after him."

"Why do you think we're after Echizen Ryoma?" Sumire asked.

"Just ask yourselves that."

Sumire sighed. "Oshitari." The bodyguard nodded and took out a briefcase, which he laid on the table in front of them; inside were quite a few notebooks. Oshitari turned the briefcase around and shoved it toward the police.

"These are…?" Inui asked, taking one out.

"Tachibana Ann's scrapbooks," Sumire said. "Unfortunately, the ones that she's given to Echizen Ryoma are not included with them."

"Do you mind if we take a look?"

"Go ahead."

The police flipped through all the scrapbooks. "There's no doubt these are Tachibana Ann's scrapbooks, correct?" Inui asked, holding one up. Sumire nodded.

"Are all of them like this?" Asked one of the police officers as he continued to look through one.

"Yes, they are. Please take a look at them until you are satisfied."

"Inui-san, this one claims that a dark realm and reality clashed, and there was an invasion of spirits," one of the officers said. "This is nothing but a low class occult novel. Are you suggesting we take this in as evidence?"

Inui sighed, holding up the one he had been reading. "This one claims everything was caused by underground earth people." He threw it on the table and took out a packet of cigarettes. "There are several things I want to ask. Why did Tachibana Ann– "

"The Family has nothing to do with the deaths of Tachibana Ann and Momoshiro Takeshi," Sumire cut in.

"What?"

"If we did dispose of them, do you really think their bodies would have been found?" Tezuka said, wearing the same stoic expression he always did.

"Then why are you after Echizen Ryoma?" Inui asked, choosing to ignore Tezuka's comment.

"That's our mistake if it looked that way to you," Sumire said, giving a slight bow. "I offer my apologies. As a symbol of our friendship, we will hand over these scrapbooks to you."

Inui sighed once again as he stood up. "I'm going to leave the rest to you, Shinji-chan," he said to one of his subordinates. "It seems that I drank a bit too much, so I'll go get some fresh air." He gave a small wave as he left the house. Everyone watched him leave before Shinji took up the conversation again. "I would like you to promise us two things."

"I will hear your request," Sumire said.

"The first is, if the Sonozaki family were to receive any more scrapbooks, beyond what is present here, you will hand them over to the police. The second is that if you were to secure Echizen Ryoma, you will hand him over to the police without fail."

"Understood. I will acknowledge those conditions. However, to protect Echizen Ryoma's rights, we will assign a lawyer from the Estate to him. All interrogations with Ryoma must be in the presence of this lawyer."

"Understood."

"I hope you will not throw our kind gesture away," Sumire said, bowing once again. Outside, Inui looked angry as he threw his cigarette into a nearby vase.

On the outskirts of town, Ryoma walked, his eyes blank and lifeless, his neck still bright red; the ax, which he held in his hand, dangled at his side.

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"Eh? Echizen-san?"

Tezuka stopped outside the front office, listening as his teacher talked on the phone. "Where are you right now?" There was a pause. "Understood. I'll be there right away!" She ran out of the office and right past Tezuka. Looking back over her shoulder, she asked him to look after things while she was away.

"Eh? She got a call from Ryoma?" Fuji asked once Tezuka had told them what he had overheard. "Yeah. Chie-sensei went to the place he asked to meet up." As they were talking, two of the smaller children, excited about not having the teacher around, ran out into the hall, where they bumped into someone. A moment later, they screamed, and everyone turned to look towards the door as someone stepped into the room.

"Attention everyone!" One of the little girls who had run into the hallway had an ax pressed to her throat; the owner of the weapon was none other than Ryoma. "Gather at the center of the classroom."

"Ryoma!" Fuji exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

"Can't hear me?" Ryoma asked as he walked farther into the room, until he was standing behind the teacher's desk. "Tezuka, you're the class president, right? Make them do it."

"Ryoma, what are you-?" Tezuka was cut off as Ryoma slammed the ax into the desk, causing the wood to shatter. The children screamed.

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"At approximately one o'clock p.m., a classroom in the Hinamizawa Branch School was taken hostage. All personnel, please head to the school at once. I repeat…"

The message was broadcast to every police car in the immediate area, including the ones that gathered outside the school. Inui was among the officers observing the school.

"We don't know if there are any perpetrators other than Echizen Ryoma," an officer told him. "The curtains have been pulled down, so we can't confirm the situation." Behind them, Chie, the teacher, was crying softly. "The staff was not present, so only the fifteen students are inside." Inui nodded, and seemed about to reply when another officer called him; the officer was standing near one of the cars. "Inui-san! We have a call from the suspect!"

Inui went over to the car and took the phone from the officer. "Hello? This is Inui."

"Is this Inui-san? Greetings. Echizen speaking," Ryoma said from inside the building. In the classroom, the students were all on the floor, their arms tied behind them with jump ropes; aside from Fuji, who was sitting near the window with his hands behind his head. "Inui-san, you are my ally, correct?"

"Of course. You and I will expose the Sonozaki conspiracy together."

"Fuji also didn't believe me for a little while," Ryoma said, pushing the curtains apart slightly and peeking through them. "But he's my ally right now. Right?"

"Yes," Fuji said.

"I understand," Inui said. "Please allow me to give my greetings to our new ally, Fuji. Can he come to the phone?" At first, he thought Ryoma would refuse, but after a moment he agreed, and gave Fuji the phone. "Hello. This is Fuji."

"Well, hello! This is Inui from the Okinomiya Police." Inui paused for a moment. Inside the classroom, Ryoma walked over to where the students were lying on the floor. "What's Echizen-san doing right now?"

"He's over with the hostages…with everyone."

"Fuji-san, play along with me and answer 'yes' if the answer is yes, and 'yeah' if the answer is no. Do you know what demands Echizen Ryoma intends to make?"

"Yeah."

"Are you being threatened by Echizen-san and only pretending to assist her?"

"Yes." From the other side of the room, Ryoma looked at Fuji suspiciously.

"Is Echizen Ryoma the only perpetrator?"

"Yes." Inui motioned to one of the officers, who nodded and went to one of the cars.

"You see? Fuji is our ally, right?" Ryoma said into the phone. Inui agreed. "Now it's your turn to answer some questions, Inui-san. Has anything happened regarding my request for an investigation of the Sonozaki family?" He looked out the window again. "Were you able to locate the laboratory researching the parasites?"

"It's being handled by the Prefecture Police Organized Crime Investigation Unit and Public Security Intelligence Agency in preparation for a large-scale investigation," Inui replied. "It is, after all–"

"That's too slow!" Ryoma yelled. "What are you taking your time for? Inui-san, are you really my ally? Answer me."

"Of course I am!" Inui said. "It's just that…without any evidence, things won't move that easily."

"Evidence?" Ryoma asked, scratching at his neck; blood soon began to drip down again. "I understand. I'll give you Tachibana-san's scrapbooks. Please hurry and convince the other police departments with them."

"Thank you," Inui said. "Please allow me to come inside and pick them up."

"No…I'll send Fuji out with them."

A moment later, Fuji was outside, holding the scrapbooks in one hand. "I'm sorry. Ryoma told me, you know…I shouldn't say anything unnecessary." He held out the scrapbooks.

"I understand," Inui said as he took them. He then held out his hand and dropped something into Fuji's. "Don't worry, Echizen-san can't see us from here."

"This is…?" Fuji wondered, looking at what was in his hand.

"Read it on your way back to the classroom," Inui replied, and Fuji began to head back. Once inside, he took a closer look at the items he now possessed: there was an earphone, a note, and a small bottle of pepper spray. The note read: 'If you place the earphone in your ear, we'll be able to talk. The spray is for self-defense, and has a range of one meter. Aim for the face.' Fuji looked at the spray and clenched his fist.

He arrived at the classroom to find Ryoma splashing some kind of liquid around the classroom. The students looked extremely frightened. "Ryoma! What are you doing?"

"I'm spreading gasoline across the floor," Ryoma said casually. "It's insurance. Just in case." Outside, the police officers messed with the radio for a moment until they could hear what was going on inside.

"But…gasoline? What are you…?"

"Gasoline?!" Inui exclaimed. "If gasoline vapors were to ignite, they'd cause a titanic explosion! I would blow up the whole school!" As he thought over just how serious the situation was, another officer ran up to him.

"Excuse me! In the scrapbooks the suspect gave us, there's a letter that seems to have been written by him." He held it up and gave it to Inui. It said: _Tonight, I will probably claw my throat out and die. That's why I'm setting seven o'clock p.m. the time limit for our negotiations. If an investigation hasn't started by then, I will ignite the gasoline and burn with the hostages._

"It's almost six o'clock right now," the officer said, glancing at his watch. "That gives us about an hour."

_I have also prepared another method of blowing up the school, _the letter continued. _It's a simple time bomb, made from gasoline and a kitchen timer. Of course, I have also set it to go off at seven. I am counting on a speedy compliance with my request. To my ally, Inui-san._

**Author's notes:**

Now that I think about it, Chie-sensei is the only character that's not from Tennis no Ouji-sama. I suppose that's because Sakuno and Tomoka are the only girls I haven't used yet, and I can't imagine either of them as being a teacher. Can you?

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Well, it's a bit short, but that seems like a good place to leave off. As I said before, the next chapter will be the last. Seriously. Will Ryoma succeed in blowing up the school, or will Fuji and the police be able to stop him? Review and you just may find out sooner! -hint hint-


	5. Tears

Once again, I apologize for the slow update. It's just that, with the alerts being down, I didn't really want to write it until they were fixed. Not to mention my keyboard decided to quit working, and it took us awhile to fix it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed (even though I didn't get the alert telling me that you did), and I apologize if I didn't reply to yours.

Just a few notes before we start, so I don't have to put them at the end:

Ryoma's ax is referred to as a cleaver as well because, well, it just is.

Cicadas are normally active during the summer. However, in the story it is currently winter, and it's unusual to hear them during this time of year.

And now, I present the final chapter of _When the Cicadas Cry._

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tennis no Ouji-sama or Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

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Ryoma picked up the ax from where it was lodged into the teacher's desk and calmly walked over to where Tezuka was tied up. Without a word, raised it above his head and brought it down on Tezuka's. He repeated the process, and the other children could only gasp and flinch as the ax's handle collided with Tezuka's forehead.

"Stop it, Ryoma!"

Ryoma paused mid-swing and turned to glare at the one who had spoken. "Fuji, you promised you wouldn't move away from that wall!" Fuji tensed and looked at Tezuka; his eyes were closed, and Ryoma had moved the ax so that the blade hung next to his head. "I cannot forgive Tezuka for selling me out to his family and the police!" As he spoke, a stream of blood began trickling down Tezuka's face. Ryoma lifted the ax and once again began beating Tezuka with it. "When I believed in you…I believed in you!" With each hit, more blood came oozing out, dripping onto the floor.

"Stop, Ryoma!" Fuji yelled, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please stop!" Tears formed in his eyes as he took a step forward.

"Stay back!" Ryoma yelled, taking a single step backward. "Come any closer and I'll flick this lighter." He held up the object, which he pulled from his pocket, to demonstrate. Fuji, not wanting to risk it, stayed where he was. Before Ryoma could resume his relentless beating, however, the phone on the desk began ringing. "Hello?" Ryoma said as he answered it. "Inui-san, what is it?"

Fuji stood, unsure of what to do. It was then that he remembered what the police had given him. He reached into his pocket and took out the earphone, placing it in his ear. There was some static before a voice asked, "Can you hear me? This is Choutarou of the Okinomiya Police Department. If you can hear me, please cough once." Fuji did.

"Thank goodness," Choutarou said. "Please listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. The suspect has claimed to have set a timed explosive." Fuji's eyes widened. "It's a simple device, made with a kitchen timer, but it's still enough to blow up the classroom." Across the room, Ryoma was still talking on the phone; he glanced back to check on things before returning to his conversation.

"According to him, the timer is set for seven o'clock," Choutarou continued. "That's in fifteen minutes."

"What should I do?" Fuji whispered into the device.

"We want you to locate and disarm the explosive."

"Me?"

"The timer is probably powered by an electrical outlet. Is there anything plugged into the outlets of the classroom?" Fuji looked around; the only outlet didn't have anything plugged into it. "No."

"It's possible that the device is in another room," Choutarou said.

"You want me to search all the rooms?" Fuji asked, bewildered. "In fifteen minutes?"

"Fuji!"

Fuji turned around to look at the hostages; it was Eiji who had spoken. "Eiji? Were you listening?" Eiji nodded. Beside him, Oishi leaned forward to offer his say. "I've always been pretty good at finding traps and such," he said.

"Then where would you put a bomb if you wanted to blow up this room?" Fuji asked. Oishi smiled. "That's easy. I'll show you that Ryoma's trap is nothing!"

"That won't make it in time!" Ryoma yelled into the phone. "Inui-san, do you understand anything that I've been saying?"

"There's probably a cord somewhere," Oishi continued quietly. "If you can confirm that…"

Fuji nodded. "All right, leave it to me!"

Ryoma turned away from the phone, his hand over the over the receiver so the police couldn't hear him. "What is it, Fuji?" Fuji hesitated only briefly before coming up with an excuse. "I heard a weird noise just now." When Ryoma looked skeptical he added, "I'm sure I heard it."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then go take a look, Fuji." Fuji nodded and headed towards the sliding door. As he opened it, Ryoma added, "I would hate for you to make me angry."

"Trust me," Fuji said with a small smile before closing the door and running down the corridor. He opened the first door he came to and took a brief look around; on the ground, he saw a cable connecting to an outlet and winding around the desk that stood near the door. He followed it until he came to a storage closet, and saw an alarm clock sitting on a box in the dark room. "There it is!" he said to himself as he picked it up. Turning it over in his hands, he examined it only to find that the wire was just taped on the bottom of the clock; there was no bomb attached.

"Why is Fuji holding an alarm clock in his hands, I wonder?" Ryoma said, appearing in the doorway. "I wonder…"

"Ryoma!"

"I trusted you, Fuji," he said, taking out the ax that he had been hiding behind his back. He raised it above his head. "_You're horrible, Fuji!"_ Fuji's eyes widened before he closed them, preparing for the worst. Before Ryoma could bring his weapon down, however, Eiji ran into the room and tackled him, sending them both flying into the wall. The lighter, which had been safely tucked away in Ryoma's pocket, went sliding across the floor. Fuji ran over and grabbed it.

"Fuji!" Oishi called from somewhere outside the classroom. "I know where the bomb is!" As Ryoma began to get up, Eiji stepped in front of him, his arms spread out to block him. "Fuji! Hurry and go to Oishi!"

"Eiji…"

"Fuji, this isn't the first time," Eiji continued. "Last time…if only I had tried harder…when you killed Ryoma and Tezuka, if I had only been able to do something more…that's why, this time, I'll make sure to do something"

"Fuji! The time's almost up!" Oishi called. Fuji hesitated before saying, "Sorry, Eiji!" and running out the door, leaving him to deal with Ryoma.

Ryoma laughed. "Eiji, you're going to get killed! At the hands of wrathful Ryoma, you shall surely perish!" At this, Eiji only smiled. "I'll play with you. Come here, cleaver boy."

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"What do you mean?" Fuji asked. He was standing in the hallway with Oishi, who claimed to know where the bomb was.

"This morning. As soon as I remembered, it was easy! Remember?"

"_Man, something stinks!" One of the students said._

"_I think it's coming from outside," another said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Behind them, a boy opened his locker and noticed that something was missing. "Hey! My baseball's gone!"_

"That smell was gasoline!" Oishi said.

"And the ball?"

"Ryoma used it to clog the rain gutter, then filled the entire gutter with gasoline!"

"So that means the bomb is…"

"It's probably on the roof!"

Fuji smiled. "Good work, Oishi. Take care of everyone, alright?" He began to run off, but Oishi stopped him. "Take this!" he said, tossing Fuji the baseball bat he'd had in his hand; the name 'Kaoru' was engraved on the handle. Oishi's brother. Fuji thanked him, then began to make his way outside.

"Inui-san, can you hear me?" he yelled. "I've taken his lighter! The bomb's on the roof; it's in the rain gutter." Outside, one of the officers looked at his watch. "We have less than three minutes!"

Inside the school, Fuji had reached a window and was struggling to get it open. When that didn't work, he grabbed the baseball bat and smashed it. Quickly moving the sharp pieces of glass from around the window, he climbed out and onto the roof.

"One minute left!"

Fuji hurriedly ran across the roof, spotting the bomb in the rain gutter: right where Oishi had said it would be. The timer said less than ten seconds, and he quickened his pace, making a dive for the device when he was close enough. Right before the countdown reached zero, he pressed the 'off' switch. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I did it…I did it!"

The police below gave a cheer. "All units forward! Secure the hostages and apprehend the suspect!" Inui yelled. The students had already opened the classroom window and were climbing out, running across the grass to safety. Oishi was one of the last ones out. After he had jumped out the window, he extended his hand to Tezuka and helped him out.

"Inui-san, it's from the fire department!" said an officer that held the speaker for the car radio in his hand. "The scene's still dangerous because of the gasoline vapors. They're requesting that you call back the entry team. Even without the detonator, the place could still blow at any moment!"

Inui looked up at the building. "But Fuji-san is still there!"

On the roof, Fuji heard something behind him. He turned around, only to find Ryoma standing behind him. "Ryoma!"

"Impossible…I never thought you'd find it up here," Ryoma said. "I guess it all ended in failure, huh?"

Fuji smirked. "Game and match, Ryoma."

"And I was fighting so hard against the aliens…" Ryoma continued. "If humanity perishes now, it's all your fault, Fuji."

"Aliens? No one in their right mind would believe that!" Fuji said, standing up from where he had been kneeling on the roof. He held the baseball bat tightly in his hand. "Idiot." His taunting was working: Ryoma was getting angry.

"If you really want me to believe you, there's an easy way for us to settle this, you know," Fuji said.

"You're saying the one who wins is right?" Ryoma asked.

"Exactly."

Ryoma scowled at Fuji before sprinting towards him, the ax held out in front of him. He brought it down when he reached Fuji; sparks flew as the blade hit the metal of the baseball bat. "If you lose to me, you'd better prepare yourself!" Fuji said.

"What will you do if you beat me?" Ryoma asked, pushing down harder.

"Obviously, you'll have to become my personal servant," Fuji replied, also pushing back. "From the dawn's 'Good Morning' to the evening's 'Good Night', you'll be completely in my service!"

Ryoma laughed. "That's so like you, Fuji!" The two broke away, then lunged towards each other. The weapons clashed, and they each jumped back again. Ryoma quickly ran forward and brought the cleaver down; Fuji dodged, and the ax embedded itself in the roof.

"Fuji-san, jump!" Inui called from below. It was no use, however; the two were fully involved in the battle. Around them, the students began cheering, wishing Fuji luck and telling him to win. As they cheered, Eiji emerged from the building. He was clutching his arm, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed. Worried, Oishi and Tezuka ran over to him.

Up on the roof, the battle continued. The weapons continued to clatter as they met time and again. Neither Fuji nor Ryoma seemed to be willing to let the other win. They had played many games in the past: cards, board games, water fights. There was one particular fight with water guns that they never got to finish, and Fuji was reminded of it.

"We found with water guns once," he said. "Do you remember? Didn't you wish that we could fight like that again?"

"Yeah…absolutely!" Ryoma replied.

"We can finally finish it," Fuji said with a grin before running towards Ryoma. His opponent laughed as he did the same. "Just don't be a sore loser!" With that, the fight resumed.

Tezuka and Oishi were standing with Eiji after confirming that he was indeed alright. Eiji looked up at the fight. "He will…Fuji will…he might just find an exit…" he said. "A way out of this labyrinth of tragedy." Tezuka looked at him, confused.

The battle seemed to be at a standstill, with both contestants pushing his weapon against the others'. "So, let me confirm this one last time," Fuji said. "If I win, you'll become my personal servant and serve me to my heart's content every day. And you'll have to introduce me at 'Honored Master Fuji' in front of everyone!"

"I have no intention of losing, but that sounds like so much fun!"

"And next comes your prize, Ryoma," Fuji continued. Surprised, Ryoma pulled away. "If you win, Ryoma…I'll believe in your story. I'll believe that aliens are controlling the world. Even if you claw your throat out and die. I'll see it through to the very end, no matter what."

Ryoma was silent for a moment. "You know what? Even if I win, that's so boring."

"What, do you want to change it?"

Ryoma smiled. "I-I would like…the same prize you'll get, Fuji." Fuji wondered why Ryoma sounded so…sad as he spoke. "I want you to greet me everyday with a 'Good Morning' and to hear you tell me 'Good Night' in the evening. I'd like you to fill me with lots of kindness…to fill me with lots of joy…" He paused. "What do you say? With these stakes, even if I win or if you win, we'll…always be together."

Fuji smiled. "Yes…we'll always be together…" He grasped the baseball bat with both hands and held it in front of him. "I'll say this in advance. It was fun."

Ryoma readied his weapon as well. "It was fun for me, too." They rushed at each other, and their weapons clashed for the last time. A moment later, the baseball bat landed loudly on the ground. Fuji was lying on the roof while Ryoma was on top of him, cleaver raised. "Damn…you're good."

"Now the match is over, right?" Ryoma asked, his cap hiding his eyes.

"No, it's not," Fuji said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "Until you swing that down, it isn't over."

"No…" Fuji opened his eyes in surprise, and saw that Ryoma was crying. "No…I don't want to! Why did things end up like this? Where did everything get so messed up? When I thought I believed in everyone…When did I stop believing?" He lowered the ax, tears still pouring from his eyes. "Why…to my friends that I love…Why am I doing something this horrible? Why did I destroy these happy days with my own hands?"

"You're…really amazing!" Fuji said, causing Ryoma to look at him. "You were able to realize your mistake. Well done, Ryoma!"

Ryoma slowly got off of Fuji. "I've hurt my friends. I did terrible things to Tezuka." Now that Ryoma wasn't on top of him, Fuji sat up. "So apologize to him later." Fuji crawled over and wrapped his arms around his trembling friend. "It really was a simple thing. Anyone could have realized it. All we had to do was something this simple!" He released Ryoma and looked him in the eye. "If something awful happens, or if we start doubting each other, or if something painful happens…your friends! You have to talk to your friends!"

"That's…right," Ryoma said. "You're right!" His tears, which had begun to dry, began flowing again as he fell forward and leaned his head against Fuji's chest. When Fuji once again put his arms around him, Ryoma did the same. Everyone looked on from the ground, and if anyone was paying attention, they could have seen tears rolling down Eiji's face.

Despite the time of year, the sound of cicadas crying could be heard throughout the night.

That something was so simple, and so close by. They key to everything. To forgive each other, to promise each other. That should have been the magic to defeat the demons of suspicion that lurk within. However, even armed with that key, there is still a mystery in Hinamizawa that remains locked.

_The End_


End file.
